Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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817. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update on the status of a citizenship application (details supplied); when it is likely that a decision will be reached noting that the application was first lodged in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2898/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.

I expect that going forward, the vast majority of applicants will continue to receive a decision within one year; however, it is important to note that no two naturalisation applications are the same and some take longer than others to process.

I understand the extended wait times can be frustrating for applicants, particularly considering the current processing times. I want to assure anyone who has an application for naturalisation submitted that the Citizenship Division of my Department is doing everything possible to progress applications as quickly as possible.

Given the importance of citizenship, robust and comprehensive checks must take place on each application. Unfortunately, some international checks can take a considerable amount of time and these are largely out of the control of the Immigration Service.

Citizenship Division have also taken a significant number of steps to speed up the process for applicants. These included introducing an online digital application, online payments, and the introduction of eVetting. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that these changes are dramatically reducing processing times.

The length of time taken to process an application has dropped from 15 months in 2023, to 8 months in 2024.

The person concerned can now directly check the status of their immigration application on the Immigration Service’s new Digital Contact Centre (DCC). They can register for an account or log in to their existing account at .

As an Oireachtas member, you can also request the status of individual immigration cases by e-mail, using the Oireachtas Mail facility at IMoireachtasmail@justice.ie, which has been specifically established for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Question process.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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818. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he will expedite an application for citizenship (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2941/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The naturalisation application from the person referred to by the Deputy continues to be processed by my Department.

This application is based on Section 16 'Irish Association', which can take typically longer to process than applications based upon residency.

Section 15 of the Act sets out the statutory conditions that must be fulfilled for a certificate of naturalisation to be granted. Section 16 of the Act gives discretion to waive the statutory conditions in certain circumstances, including where the applicant is of Irish descent or Irish associations (related through blood, affinity or adoption to a person who is or is entitled to be an Irish citizen).

Any application made under S16 should be supported by substantive documentation. This documentation should show that the S16 application is exceptional and one where the normal residency pathways to citizenship are not appropriate. However, there is no automatic right or entitlement to have any of the statutory conditions waived even where the applicant comes within the certain circumstances defined.

Officials in my Department are in the process of finalising guidelines, which will provide clarity to both applicants and decision-makers on what factors may be considered when deciding whether to waive such naturalisation conditions under section 16(1)(a) of the Act. These new guidelines are being developed in the interests of fair and transparent procedures and comprehensive decision making. Details of the new guidelines will be made publicly available once they have been finalised and should also assist in reducing processing times for these complex cases.